


Walk

by slashmania



Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [10]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Cobb overreacts to Arthur's note, M/M, Secret Santa, Secrets, Walk, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashmania/pseuds/slashmania
Summary: “It could be anything, and if you’re so worried about it you could do something mature like call him!” Yusuf said. Finally he reached for his cell phone and dialed Arthur’s number.And it immediately went to voicemail.Yusuf stared off, blank faced, still holding his phone. “Maybe he’s been kidnapped.”
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503791
Kudos: 39





	Walk

**Author's Note:**

> Day 10: Walk  
> 1,420 words

“Okay, everyone!” Cobb said in a serious and businesslike tone. “I’ve got something interesting we need to go over.”

Ariadne looked around, searching for Arthur and not finding him. And Eames was apparently late.

“Not all of us are here,” Yusuf said saving Ariadne from having to state the obvious to Cobb, who had looked around, noticed, and still said what he said anyway. She narrowed her eyes.

“Did you get your hands on something compromising, or did you just find some juicy gossip about Arthur? Or Eames?”

Yusuf piped in. “ _Or both?_ ”

Cobb wasn’t pulling his usual shit about not explaining anything until the very last minute.

“I believe that something is going on with Arthur and Eames. I found this note that Arthur left behind before leaving this morning, and I just can’t ignore the implications. Especially when we consider that Eames isn’t even here yet.”

Cobb met them at the table they were using for meetings and such, slapped the note on the table, stood back and then let the architect and chemist examine his find.

“I think you will find it pretty exciting,” Cobb commented as the pair examined the note. It was short, so it really didn’t take very long to do.

“ _I’m going on a walk._ ” Ariadne read this bit aloud. Yusuf followed after her with the last bit. “ _Be back soon- Arthur_ ,” Yusuf said flatly. Ariadne and Yusuf looked at each other briefly before turning to face Cobb. Cobb just looked excited to go over it with them.

“What do you think it means?” Cobb asked, looking from one employee to another.

“It means Arthur went for a walk,” Yusuf said.

“But what does it _mean_?” Cobb fired back, ready to debate it.

“Cobb, Arthur only wrote the note so you wouldn’t flip out when you finally noticed he was gone. He is probably doing something for the job.”

“That he didn’t mention during one of the previous meetings?” Cobb asked, injecting doubt into the situation.

“It could be anything, and if you’re so worried about it you could do something mature like call him!” Yusuf said. Finally he reached for his cell phone and dialed Arthur’s number.

And it immediately went to voicemail.

Yusuf stared off, blank faced, still holding his phone. “Maybe he’s been kidnapped.”

“Who would kidnap Arthur,” Ariadne said, shooting Yusuf a look of bitter disappointment since he was supposed to be helping her keep Cobb on the rational path when the man started bringing up ‘Interesting things’. She wouldn’t allow more memes, or cute cat pictures, or any stories that began with ‘Does anyone want to hear about that one time where Arthur was a badass?’ because all of those stories proved that there wasn’t just a single time where Arthur was a badass, and that since none of them would ever hold a candle to the man who fought through a rotating hallway two-levels down in their mark’s mind, and performed a kick in zero gravity, Cobb ought to stop doing that for emotional reasons.

“I personally have another opinion that I wanted to discuss,” Cobb added, again. “I think that Arthur is with Eames.”

“On a walk?”

“Well, maybe not on a walk, but it was just a lie to get Arthur out of the warehouse for whatever.” And then Cobb waved his hand.

Yusuf mimicked him. “Is that how we’re going to talk about our fellow employees running off to meet for illicit sex? Just wave our hands?”

“One,” Cobb added. “Just wave one hand, and not like you’re saying hello to someone or politely telling the waiter or waitress that you wouldn’t like the dessert menu.”

“I never wave away the dessert menu,” Yusuf hissed.

“And it shows,” Cobb answered with a hint of malice.

“Could you both stop trying to start weird fights about how fat you think you are? You’re fine, Yusuf. I think you’re fine!”

Cobb could have continued the fight if he really really wanted to, but thankfully he listened to Ariadne.

“What I’m trying to say right now, is that Arthur and Eames are together, and isn’t that pretty interesting, especially once you consider the fact that they’ve been really nice to each other lately?”

And that was actually pretty true.

“Yes...they haven’t been bickering.”

“And they take lunch together all the time now,” Ariadne added after Yusuf.

“Arthur actually smiles at Eames now. And not cringe-smiles where he’s going to cringe about something but forces himself to smile through it- like a month ago when Eames came in wearing _that_ shirt and Arthur hated it on principle, but just had to be polite and smile too? Even if he was cringing at first.”

“...And Arthur is walking through the door right now and can obviously hear all the shit you’re saying!” Arthur said in a nice loud voice.

“I think it was kind of sweet,” Eames said too, walking into the warehouse right behind Arthur, smiling widely at all of them. “They’re pro- Arthur and Eames!”

Cobb smiled at each man and said, “So, what were you doing out there?”

Ariadne looked at Cobb and couldn’t believe that the man was being so weird about this.

“I went out for a walk,” Arthur said, noticing his note on the table. “That’s my note, so you know what I was up to.”

“But why is Eames here now, too?” Yusuf asked in confusion, and then looked at Arthur sharply. “I was so sure that you had been kidnapped when you didn’t answer my call!”

Arthur rolled his eyes and finally said, “Look, it isn’t any of your business, but Eames wanted to meet up before work so we could do Christmas shopping- we got each other for the Secret Santa thing and figured it would be nice to offer input or help to do the shopping. If I didn’t do it then Eames swore he was going to end up getting me a gift card to Barnes and Noble. Or a subscription to _Guns and Ammo._ ”

“So you were only helping each other find the perfect gift...for yourselves. Which isn’t something necessarily romantic when you consider that it could sort of be seen as self-centered,” Ariadne stated.

Eames suddenly grabbed Arthur from behind and placed a big kiss on the point man’s cheek!

“We almost fooled you, though!”

Arthur’s face began to redden. “I would prefer it if they thought we were each being self-centered bastards, Eames.” His tone had the flavor of _I can’t believe you’re doing this, we spoke about this before entering the fucking warehouse._

Cobb looked excited, he punched the air with his fist and said, “Yes! I knew that something was going on! When will we be invited to the wedding?”

“It’s just Secret Santa, Cobb! We aren’t going to get married right now!” Arthur said clearly, pulling Eames’s arms from around him and releasing himself from Eames’s hold.

“I wouldn’t mind getting married sooner,” Eames announced. Arthur stopped what he was doing, and turned to face him, looking pained and annoyed all at once.

“Is it possible that we don’t keep revealing private information to our friends, Eames? Is it at all possible for some things to remain a damned secret before you give away everything?”

Yusuf placed one hand over his heart and said sincerely, “Aw, Arthur you think of me like a friend, I thought you were never going to get over the sedation thing from the Fischer job.”

“I haven’t!”

“Calm down, darling. Everything will be fine, I promise.” And then he hugged Arthur.

It seemed inappropriate to watch Eames attempt to soothe Arthur’s anger through touch. Arthur was right, there were things about their relationships that were meant to be private.

Ariadne glared at Cobb and Yusuf and stated, “We’re going for a walk, gentlemen!”

She shot a look at Eames from over her shoulder as she tried to corral the other two and get them out of the damned door.

“Not you, Eames. Not you either, Arthur.”

Then Arthur and Eames were alone. Privacy, such bliss!

Eames waited to see if they were coming back in, then sighed in relief. “Thank god they believed us, love. I would have hated it if Cobb realized I was his Secret Santa and that I called you in to help choose something he’d like...”

“Same for me and Yusuf’s gift,” Arthur agreed before kissing Eames’s cheek. “Should we let them think they’ve got it right or do we correct them later?”


End file.
